Many existing communication devices (also referred to as mobile devices) include a means of notifying a user that an event occurred with respect to the mobile device. Such an event may be a missed phone call, incoming email message or incoming text message, etc. One example means that has been used to inform a user of such notifications is a light emitting diode (LED). The LED may blink occasionally to alert the user to state changes of the mobile device, such as when an email or text message has been received, or when a telephone call has been missed, where the state change results in a notification. In some mobile devices, the LED may blink even when the mobile device display is in a power save mode or when the mobile device is in a sleep mode of operation.
When the mobile device is awake, and therefore not in a sleep mode of operation, the user may observe such notifications directly on the mobile device display by way of visual indications such as textual notifications, icons or by other graphic images that provide additional information regarding the specific type of notification. In another example of visual indications, most mobile devices will display at least a clock showing the time of day and a battery charge level. If the mobile device is in a sleep mode and the display is turned off, the user must wake the mobile device in order to turn the display on again to view the visual indications such as the time of day, or to access information about specific notifications. For control systems employing voice control, viewing visual indications related to notifications may require waking the mobile device, more particularly waking a main processor, in order to implement desired functionality.